When I watch a game, any contest filled with players moving aggressively in a concerted manner, I know there is a coach. I eagerly wait for the moment the camera captures him or her on the sidelines. It is a mistake only an amateur sports fan makes to assumes that the coach is not an integral part of the game. He or she is, and far more than even the dedicated fan realizes! If I was to pick the type of coach that I admire and would like to pattern myself after, there are some common threads. These include the following.
First, there is little about the game that appears to rattle the coach’s composure. Anticipation, knowledge, and planning seem to be bywords of what it means to be a coach. The best of the best make it look automatic.
Second, the emotions of the moment take second place to the higher calling, winning the game! Granted each one of the coaches that come to mind have failed on an occasion or two, but in the whole they are figures of stoic observation. Emotionally ranting and raving are tools rarely used or brought out into the public eye.
Third, no question can be raised or asked about the level of passion and commitment to the game. Great coaches often become synonymous with the game itself. They often come to define how the game should be played, the way winner should behave, and even how to lose. They are engaged, involved, and live as if the game was all that mattered.
God’s cry that John recorded reflects the passion of the best coach we will ever know. “Turn back! Recover your dear early love.” (Revelation 2.4)
When I reflect on God’s coaching I find someone who anticipates every move, knows what might happen, and prepares for success. I see someone passionately involved in the details yet focused on the life. I find someone talking and mentoring you and I at every step. The only thing left is our part. Are we here to play or what?
